“Hey, what are you doing inhere? I thought we were going to watch a movie?”
I turn to see Annie in thedoorway in her robe and a towel on her head. I make sure my body isblocking her view of the phone. “I was just getting us somepopcorn.”
She looks at me quizzically,then shrugs and tells me to remember the cheese shaker. Shedisappears into the living room and I let out a breath. That wasclose, too close. I turn my phone off before sliding it into mypocket.
I pay zero attention to FindingNemo. I’m preoccupied by my phone conversation with Denny. I thinkabout what he’d said about Annie. You’re getting played like afiddle.
I don’t believe anything he saysright now. His words are thoughts from a scrambled mind. However,our conversation reminds me of something that, while I haven’tforgotten, I’d put far on the back burner of my mind. Now, it rearsits head.
Raj.
I’ve avoided asking her abouther life outside of me. I knew it wouldn’t do anything but causetension. But now…now I know if I don’t say anything, it’ll just eatat me.
“Hey, babe?” I say, putting myarm around her. She snuggles closer to me and grunts—her mouth isfull of popcorn, and another handful is on its way. “I meant to askyou something a while ago, but because it wasn’t that important andI just kind of forgot about it until now.” I fight to keep my tonecasual. “Who is Raj?”
Her hand stops. She tosses thehandful of popcorn back into the bowl and lets out a breath throughher nose, chewing furiously. She swallows and turns to me. “Are youserious, Jade? Are you really going to start this jealousy shitagain?”
“No. Not at all. I was justcurious. When you were in Vancouver working, I called and someonesaid that you were with Raj.” Time to backpedal like my lifedepends on it. “It’s stupid. I shouldn’t have even asked. Let’sjust forget about it, okay?”
“Yeah right, Jade.” She gives mea tired look. “I’ve known you for most of my life. When have youever been able to just forget about something that’s botheringyou?”
“I’m trying to change. I won’tmention it again, I promise.”
She stares off into space for amoment and then turns and looks at me. “Look, I’m not going tospend my life walking on eggshells. I don’t want a life of worryingabout how jealous you’ll get if I have friends. I won’t do it,Jade. I won’t feed into your paranoia.”
“I’m not—”
“That being said, I will answeryour question this time, and this time only. Raj is a malemodel.”
I stare at her, but all I cansee is a tanned, buff, gorgeous guy with a great personality andsex appeal. Fuck!
“And Jade?” She tosses a popcornkernel in her mouth. “He’s extremely, incredibly gay.”
The blood that’s been rushing tomy head slowly calms and my pulse rate eases down. “Yeah, well.” Ishrug, trying to look unsurprised. “I had a feeling he was.”
She picks up a handful ofpopcorn and tosses it at me. “You’re so full of shit.”
Sometimes I hate that she knowsme so well. However, I’m too relieved to feel embarrassed.
* * *
8 AM and I wake to Stinkylicking my face, then giving a sharp bark. Any other day thanSaturday and I would have been up by now, and Stinky would probablystill be sleeping.
I can’t even ask Annie to lethim out. She left early for Nanaimo to go to the doctors. I pullthe pillow over my head in hopes of getting just ten more minutesbefore the dog barks again, but I can hear his pre-bark whiningthrough the down pillow. Forget it.
I get up and open the frontdoor, and he streaks by me. I walk out on the porch in my shortsand watch as he runs from tree to tree, relieving himself. “Comeon, Stinky. I’m freezing my ass off out here.”
He starts to run towards me andthen stops dead in his tracks. His head turns and he barks.
“Be quiet. You’re going to wakethe neighbors.”
His barking becomes louder andmore intense. There’s a lot of wildlife in the area; there could besomething hiding in the bushes, taunting him. I call him again, buthe doesn’t move. I walk out in bare feet to grab him and lead himback, but just as my hands grasp his harness, I hear the crunchingof footsteps.
I whirl around. DetectiveDickson is walking around the side of the house. He waves as Istare. What the hell is he doing here? I’m hyper-aware of myattire—I probably look like a nutcase.
“Jade, right?” he asks, as if hedoesn’t damn well know.
“That’s right.”
“Can I talk to you for aminute?”
“Just wait until I put the dogin the house.”
Once Stinky is back inside, Irun to the bedroom and quickly pull on a pair of track pants and ahoodie before going back outside. Dickson is now sitting on a chairon the porch, looking out over the water.
“Have a seat,” I say, unable tohold back the sarcasm.
He smiles, takes a pack ofRothman’s out of his pocket and offers me one.
“No thanks. I hate that brand.”He laughs and lights up, using his palm to shelter the flame fromthe wind. I sit on the chair next to him. “So, what brings you backto my place?”
“I think you know, Jade.”
A hard-lump forms in my throat,making it hard to swallow.
“You know what my first loveis?”
“Columbo?”
“Fishing.”
Despite my wariness of thedetective, I can’t help but feel a flicker of appreciation. “That’sone of mine too.”
“I bet there’s lots of good codaround here.”
“If you know the right places tofish.”
“What do you use for bait?”
“Depends if I’m trolling orjigging. Sea worms for jigging. For trolling I use zingers or StingZelda’s.”
“I’ll have to try that,” hesays, stamping his cigarette out on the side of his package.“Where’s the girl, Jade?”
His question snaps me out of ourfishing conversation back to what this truly is, a detectivelooking for answers. “Girl?”
He looks at me and tilts hishead. “Where’s Annie?”
Hearing him say her name makesmy blood run cold. I hadn’t mentioned her name before . How did heknow her name? “She’s not here right now.”
“Where is she?”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know where yourgirlfriend is?”
“Fiancée.”
“Congratulations. You don’t knowwhere
